Hearts A-Stray Halloween Special
by ArsinoetheXXVII
Summary: In the demon days of summer, a dog stalks the royal grounds by night. For hundreds of years this devil-black dog has haunted and killed, but what he longs for can only be taken when the blood moon appears and the dark master concedes. A dark one-shot. Based very loosely on the plotline for Hearts A-Stray, but w/ some twists. Every day is Halloween. But here's a treat for 10/31/12.


Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

AN: Happy Halloween!

Hearts A-Stray Halloween Special:

Legend of the Dark Stalker

* * *

There was a legend, based on a ghost story, based on a tale the old ones wove, based on a secret that no one fathomed to be true.

In the demon days of summer a black beast stalked the woods of the royal enclosure, a monster with yellow-brown eyes and flashing fangs like daggers, always hungering for flesh. Few ever glimpsed this phantom, but if one did their fate was sealed. From the pits of hell this beast appeared and slipped through the trees like a black poisonous fog, curling toward its victim. The pitiful soul saw nothing but their blood spraying in a wash of bright color before their eyes as the animal always tore out the throat first; he did not like his prey to scream. Legend also told that while the hellhound devoured its voiceless meal, a man stood watch, keeping vigil over the carnage. A man that mirrored the beast in ways so frightening he was as much to fear as his companion. Brown eyes that burned to red, a curtain of pitch hair falling long and ragged like fur down his back, tall lean and powerful, with a sword always in hand.

If some of the stories were to be believed the man and the creature were one and the same, both damned to hunt and slaughter in sacrifice to a vicious and ancient god.

Rukia hated superstitious legends. And she abhorred ghost stories. The only darkness she believed in was when the sun had sunk beneath the horizon and allowed night to spread its tendrils across the sky. She did not fear what she could not see. And in all her years as part of the midnight watch on the royal grounds she had never chanced by anything she could not explain. She herself was a creature of the night, so to speak; seeking her bed in the sunny mornings after her shift and waking as the night crept further toward the wee hours. No, this young woman, born and bred to guard the mausoleum of the fallen kings and the crypts beneath, had never been afraid of the dark. The darkness suited her, cloaked her like fine robes, and wove around her like silk adorning a princess.

She was a common girl with no noble bloodline. But in the dark, she knew there was power. A common girl maybe, but in the dark she was a girl crowned by night, and jeweled by her own strength. She was a diamond, a precious gem with sapphire-violet eyes, and pearl skin that drank in the moonlight. At night she reined, the forest was her kingdom, the night-creatures her subjects, the mausoleum her cold marble palace. It was the only time she allowed such childish fantasies freedom. Her comrades on the watch need never know that she let girlish fairytales take flight when she was all alone on duty in the dead of night. They might think her morbid if they knew she danced among the stone sarcophagi that held the bones of noblemen. Strange that she did not believe in things such as ghosts or monsters, yet she daydreamed among the dead. Still despite that, she did not believe in happy endings or for that matter love. Pure, chaste, untouched, she would remain so until her death. She would never know a lover's kiss, she told herself.

Yet, unbeknownst to her, in the darkness, her prince awaited.

* * *

He had been waiting for so long, but he had counted the minutes, the hours, the days… He watched and waited, a rolling black mist with eyes like rubies that opened only to glimpse her. He would follow in the shadows when she went deep into the underground crypt by torchlight. Even with the smell of damp earth and decay all around him he could smell her, her natural musk rousing his bloodlust. When she hummed a haunting tune as she patrolled, the sound echoing eerily in the stone tunnels, her voice penetrated deep into his fur until it reverberated in his bones. Every move she made caused his jaw to quiver, the saliva in his mouth to thicken, his fur to stand on end… So he stalked her, night after night, waiting for the man to tell him he could have her.

That night came under a yellow crescent moon, a haze of red shadows outlining its golden face.

* * *

She was crunching dead leaves that had fallen from the shivering trees beneath her feet, each step rang with animosity. Her irritation surrounded her, her aura dark and wavering as she made her way toward the mausoleum. The hellhound raised his head from his paws, her anger and melancholy arousing him. His heart beat decisively in his ears as he got his padded feet beneath him. His whole body suddenly quivered with intensity.

_Tonight? Can I have her tonight? _The dog asked.

The man lifted his eyes of burnt sienna to the sky. He listened. The night was alive. There was a howling in the trees that could only be the keening breath of spirits on the wind. The rustling of leaves was the murmur of the dead in their beds below the ground. Mist, white and glowing was meandering its way through the woods, snaking its poison along the earth, plants shriveling and crumbling at its touch. The moon herself was showing her wanton craving for blood, cloaking herself in crimson.

"_Yes." _The man answered behind the white bandaging that wrapped his nose and mouth and continued down to his torso. The chain attached to the sword at his side clinked slightly as he gripped tighter to the hilt. "_Tonight. Take her tonight."_

The canine bore his teeth in a vicious grin tipping his head back to glorify in the moon glow and the rays of his princess's anger coming ever closer. Then he made a sound, a sigh of relief, of longing, a pleased sound of contentment, knowing that his desires would finally come to fruition. He watched as the man mingled with the shadows behind a column, becoming like one of the stone guardians that lined the walls.

The dog's tongue flicked out and he licked along his upper teeth. It was time. He too stepped back through the open entry way, becoming one with the darkness inside the mausoleum.

As Rukia tore through the woods she could just see the roof of the outer pavilion over the trees. It was only a semi-soothing sight. She was so agitated she could barely enjoy the beauty the night had to offer as she normally did.

How dare he! How dare Renji make a mockery of her station by confessing to her! She could still feel the tingling in her forearm where he had clasped it to draw her into an embrace as he blurted out his confession. She growled brushing violently at the spot he had touch as though she had walked through a spider web and could still feel the sticky-silk threads clinging to her arm.

At first she had been aghast, too shocked and frozen to tear away from the man holding her tight, her back against his chest so that his heartbeat pounded right through her. But when his lips began to smack against her neck, her anger and embarrassment had risen like a tide of fire, scorching her inside out. Even before she had pulled away he had drawn back feeling her warmth becoming an unpleasant heat.

The words were bottled in her throat, threatening to choke her as she whirled around to glare at him, but they would not come. Her gaze, a brilliant red-violet he had never glimpsed before, said it all. And though his feelings were genuine, his heart laid bare for the taking, he knew at that moment he should have never spoken his love aloud. It had been selfish and reckless, but before he could try to assuage her with these words, she was gone. He could just catch a glimpse of her disappearing through the trees.

And now the anger, hurt, and frustration in her had only eased the slightest bit as she stepped into the clearing and paused to catch her breath. She glanced up at the moon positioned over the stone monument to the dead, but was still too preoccupied to notice that the sky was full of warning. If she had but noted the aura all around her she would have realized her time had come.

She jogged up the steps without delay, her heart longing for the deathly quiet of the marble sanctuary beyond the open doors. She paused to light a new torch from one of the torches bracketed in metal to the columns on either side of the doors. Proceeding into the first hall she took a deep breath, hoping the cool chill-invoking air would soothe her nerves. If she had been her normally alert-self she would have noticed that one of the carved statues she passed watched her with eyes like dying scarlet embers. And while she felt the familiar creeping feeling up her spine as she continued on, she did not realize that the fog had stolen in and was ebbing like gentle waves behind her. The fog curled its hands around the stone doors pushing them with ethereal force so that they closed with a resounding "DOOM".

Rukia hesitated; she had only felt a rush of air at her back. She turned slowly, holding the torch high to illuminate the path she had taken. Fear hit her and then agitation took over. Had Renji followed her? Did he think to trap her here because of her refusal?

"Ha!" Her voice echoed against the stone. She glowered at the shadows around her and said, "I know every inch of this place- better than anyone. You'll not imprison me here." When there was no reply she gave one lingering glare, turned and strode forward again.

At the inner sanctum of the mausoleum was a sanctuary and shrine. A large marble altar stood in the center, blocking the view of the stairs behind it that led down into the crypt. Rukia passed through the doors of the sanctuary, but paused again. Quickly she found a niche to place her torch in before heading back to the doors. There was a hidden lever behind the carving of an angel's face that started the old gears that would close the heavy marble doors of the sanctuary, locking out the world. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she listened to the grind of the ancient gears and the murmur of the stone as doors secured and barred all outside entry. She felt a bit better as the last "click" assure her the mechanical lock had shifted into place as well. Now the doors would not open until dawn. Even if someone outside had a key or new where the secret latch-release was, there would be no getting in until the sun had started clawing its way over the horizon.

Rukia sighed. She hoisted herself up on the cold stone altar and lay back, staring at the domed ceiling far above. She closed her eyes. It could only have been for a moment, but when the girl opened her eyes again, she was staring into the eyes of death, and they were golden. The flame from her lone torch gutter as she gasped, eyes wide.

The black beast stood over her, his massive paws on either side of her head, and his powerful legs trapping hers between them. Coherent thought was lost to her as the black muzzle neared her face, red color slowly leaking into the gold pools trained on her.

She remembered the legends she despised. The legend of a black beast- a wolf- hellhound- that stalked the woods tearing out the throats of those that crossed his path.

But she didn't believe in legends and she closed her eyes willing it to be a trick of her overwhelmed mind. The growl, like a purr that raised goose bumps on her skin made her heart clench painfully in her chest before pounding so loudly she could not think.

She was beneath him now, frozen in terror, her mind trying to comprehend what she didn't believe in. Her fear smelled like mother's milk to a starving child. His fur stood on end as the sensation blanketed him. The desire in his belly was ever-growing.

"_Take her." _The man said, appearing at the corner of his vision.

The dog's teeth snapped together in irritation. _Don't rush me! I have waited too long!_

"_We have both waited."_ Was the man's reply as he glided further toward the altar.

Gold-brown eyes flicked to him for a moment, and the glow of them dulled slightly as he eyed his companion of centuries. _Yes. _He breathed this word. He shifted his gaze back to the lamb that had begun to quiver beneath him. His mouth was suddenly overflowing, and his lips curled back, the saliva beginning to drip down his jaws. _But let me have her first._

The man paused, a step away from the altar, the chain clinking. His emotionless gaze swept the young woman laid out on the altar like a stolen sacrifice. _"Very well."_

Rukia could feel her whole body shivering uncontrollably. It wasn't simply her rising fear, it was the fact that she was trying desperately to make her limbs move- to throw off the beast and bolt, but her body wouldn't obey her. Those hungry eyes had paralyzed her. And as if that weren't enough to keep her pinned, she could suddenly feel the being's power radiating.

As the dog gritted its teeth as his energy came on him full force, he lifted his head slowly, his eyes still locked on her face. Even though he had wanted to savor the fact that she was now there, now his for the taking, he knew he could not hold back much longer.

His jaws sprang apart and with a fearsome bark his muzzle shot downward. She cried out as his canines clamped into her neck drawing the first of her blood, the pain causing her to spasm, her head smacking back against the marble. If he dug a bit deeper and then yanked back, her throat would be gone in one clean move. But as her blood filled his mouth and her cry of anguish still echoed through his ears like music, he hesitated. He was shaking, his whole body reacting to the feeling of ecstasy her life force flowing over his tongue caused. He did not want to end everything so suddenly- she was not like all the others after all. She was not simply a sacrifice to his dark master. This girl, this princess of the night with her icy pale sword at her hip, was his chosen. She alone did he wish to bestow his only gift upon.

The man stepped closer and the dog's eyes rolled to him. As the canine's grip on the slowly dying girl's neck eased he gave one small nod.

"_Ahhh_." The man sighed as his eyes languidly fell closed and he reached out his free hand toward his comrade. The dog closed his eyes as well, feeling his full power flowing into him, surrendering to it as his other half merged with him once again.

Rukia's vision was hazy; her mind was swimming, dancing between agony and unconsciousness. But the stinging grip at her neck went away and an all new sensation bombarded her as she felt a cool hand touch her cheek. Her eyes flew open and with utter clarity she could see a human face above her now. But like the creature that had loomed over her before, the man that stared down at her was both fear and awe inspiring. Beautiful, handsome, ethereal, but with eyes that could only belong to a demon.

But even as her fear reignited and she couldn't help but wonder what horrors he had in store for her his fingertips began to slide downward from her cheek to her nearly ruined neck. His touch was like creeping frost and she felt her skin numb wherever he touched. She could no longer feel the burn of her torn neck, though the wound still gaped and flowed.

The feeling of relief travelled all over her and she felt her body relax and her eyelids grow heavy.

Her vision blurred as the man drew back, lifting his sword, yet she felt no fear- felt incapable of such an emotion as she floated further toward death.

She watched the blade come down, but only felt a rush of air, as the edge simply sliced at her uniform, leaving shreds behind. She shuddered as the sensation of the cold marble beneath her naked form finally stole into her. But the cold of the marble was nothing compared to the man's touch as he straddled her again, his hands trailing down her body, making snaking patterns on her flesh with the blood. He shifted and the hakama pants rustled to the floor and then he was repositioning her so that her thighs parted and he was fitted between them.

He was hard, the length of him resting against her mound and lower abdomen. She tried to force her mind to work, to call up a reaction to all that was happening, but all she could grasp was her physical state. His fingers pinched lightly at her nipples, the cold making them tingle pleasantly and shoot sensation all through her nerves.

She gasped and her back lifted away from the stone, thrusting her breasts upward and into his eager hands. He began to knead and she began to moan. Her eyes closed fully now and she let him touch her, her mind still lost to his power- to _**their**_ power. She could feel his manhood quivering and her body reacted, her core suddenly slick and warming moment by moment. She wasn't sure when one hand had strayed from her, but when she felt her folds part and the head of him press at her opening her inner voice called out.

_A virgin! Your vows were to remain pure so that your sword would stay true!_ But he dove inside her like a blade and again she was blind, darkness swallowing her. She screamed and the blood bubbled up from her throat and spilled forth with renewed vigor_._

He looked down at her face twisted with discomfort and took it between his hands so that she could not look away as he pierced her.

This was where he belonged. This was where _**she**_ belonged, holding him deep inside her.

"No!" She protested in a groan. But it was much too late for feeble protests and he thrust deeper.

Her blood was warm, coating her like the smoothest of satin sheets in crimson.

It was painful, not so much the gaping wound, but his powerful thrusts brought spasms of pain and she found her cheeks damp with tears as she moaned.

_Demon. Demon. This man is taking what is so precious to me!_

But even as she thought this, he looked down at her with the eyes of a devil entranced. Mercifully he let those cold fingers trail down her belly and spread that tingling chill between her folds so that the pain gave way to that frosty kiss that breathed scintillating sensation all through her. It did not totally numb the ace, but it created a new feeling, a stronger feeling to ease her mind and dance along her skin pleasantly.

He slowed his rhythm as he felt her relax and her moans become indulgent. His eyes softened, melted, the hungry lust altering to an emotion that bordered on tenderness.

Love. Yes, he loved her. Even as he stole her life his heart that knew only darkness filled with the warmth she inspired. He had been watching her for a long time.

But his love was toxic- vicious and possessive- a thing that came with a price. He was a creature that did not know how to love unselfishly. And even as he watched her eyes roll back, her body reacting to her awakened desires, the fire was stoked anew. He wrapped a hand around her neck- his fingers slicking in her blood. Deeper and deeper he thrust and deeper and deeper his fingers dug- his power- his last and only gift pouring into her…

Until her neck snapped. He came. And she died.

Her last breath might have been a soft sigh of her own release or simply the strangled air escaping. Slowly he eased her back against the marble and buried his face in her ruined neck, letting the blood paint his face even as he inhaled it.

A half hour passed as he let himself go completely limp inside her as her body cooled beneath him and he stroked her hair, letting his bloody fingers tangle irreverently in her locks.

Finally he felt the beast stir within him.

_Now? _

"_Yes… Now… Now she is ours forever."_

The moon was now blood red above the mausoleum, shining like a demonic beacon on the final resting place of kings and now a princess. The trees whispered, the ground vibrated, the atmosphere shifted and stirred.

That night a new legend was created.

In the demon days of summer, one might chance across the ghost of a beautiful woman walking the woods, her hand buried in the black fur of the demon dog at her side, a man with a black blade trailing in their wake. This trio stalked the grounds of the royal enclosure in the dead of night and if one happened to see them spiriting through the mist… blood was sure to follow.

Thus is the legend, based on a ghost story, based on a tale the old ones wove, based on a secret that no one fathomed to be true.

* * *

AN: I hope that made some kind of sense and wasn't too rushed! It's been a helluva couple a days for me… But anyway- I wanted to give you a treat for Halloween! Hope you enjoyed it!


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